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Expert Q&A
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| By Susan Bartell Licensed Psychologist | ||
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My 3-year-old cannot sleep because he's worried about ghosts and monsters. What can I do to help?
First, rest assured that developmentally, it is normal for children between 3 and 5 to experience these type of fears, especially at night. The best way to help your child is to encourage him to talk to you about the things that make him scared. As he talks, you may discover that he is not really fearful of ôghosts and monsters,ö but rather that he is discovering that the world is not always a perfectly safe and protective place. Your job as his parent is to reassure him that he is secure in his home and that you are careful to always keep him safe. Give him specific examples such as locking the doors at night, having safety screens on the windows, holding his hand to cross the street and making sure he sits in his car seat. Resist the urge to deny his fears or tell him that he has no reason to be upset. This will only serve to send him the message that you don't believe him, or worse, that you too are fearful and unable to help him overcome his fears. It is also important to be conscientious about monitoring your child's TV and movie viewing to try and reduce the possibility of him seeing things that could scare him.
Dr. Susan Bartell
www.havinganotherbaby.com
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